Championship dash by Michael Panckridge

Big Bash League book 6. Penguin Random House, 2017. ISBN 9780143782292
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Cricket; Overcoming difficulty. The Kangaroo Flat Galahs are a team of junior cricketers who come from a small but supportive community and have to battle uphill in order to make a mark in the regional competition against the Edenhope Eagles. They are desperately under skilled and don't even have a full team - even if you count Fatty Bumbar, the coach's bull mastiff. But then a mystery cricketer revitalises their team. Allunga seems to come out of nowhere, but her gentle manner and her amazing cricket skills combine to instil hope and success in the ragtag team as they make their way to the State T20 championships to represent their region of Western Australia. With star cameo appearances from the real T20 stars, this is a wonderful book for young readers who love cricket. Ironically I read this book while the T20 competition was in play, and I felt genuinely impressed in the way some basic cricket skills were communicated within an appealing story for young readers. I will be recommending this to both male and female readers who enjoy sport, or who just enjoy a story where the central characters need to face difficulty and work together in order to have any hope of success. It has real heart-warming qualities.
Carolyn Hull